Biographie
Born Wilfred L. W. Dobson, the oldest child of eight children, Wil spent the first 30 years of his life in Western Michigan.
Known to his family and schoolmates as "Fred", he graduated from Holton High School and later attended the Muskegon College of Business and Technology with a focus on a career as a technical draftsman before dropping out due to extreme boredom.
Shortly after the start of the 1st Gulf War, Wil joined the US Army Reserves in 1991, and completing his Combat Medic (91b) training in San Antonio, Texas in the summer of 1992, and being assigned to an Army Mobile Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Due military budget cuts during the Clinton administration, his Mobile Army Hospital closed, and Wil requested a new Army MOS, earning an Honor Graduate award as a Transportation Specialist (88m). Wil served with the 180th Transportation Company in Muskegon, Michigan where he was awarded an Army Commendation Medal for his role in a mission called "Operation Golden Cargo" (1996).
Wil started his IT career in Grand Haven, Michigan with a small internet company (Novagate Communications) around 1995 but was forced to seek a richer IT job market in the early 2000's after the collapse of the tech-bubble.
Wil moved his wife and two children (Shelby and Amber) to Texas in 2002 to work for Verizon Directories and then Verizon Business Services where he specialized in full-stack web development and database administration. He has been in the Great State of Texas ever since, continually seeking ways to use his talents for life's little adventures.
Wil lost his wife Terri to cancer in the mid-2010s, during which time both of his two children developed type-1 juvenile diabetes.
"I've experienced great pain, immense despair, and tremendous loss over the years, yet my faith in Christ / God and the supportive people around me has seen me through. This has provided me some perspective on the relationship between time and healing. I believe the horrible events in my life have given me fresh opportunities to assist others who also suffer."
As of 2022, Wil works as an IT Solutions Architect in the Dallas area, and he and his wife Erin channel their energies into their church community and the disabled veteran hockey community, where they work closely with the Dallas Warriors Hockey club, a 501c3 charity, focusing on giving veterans an outlet for exercise and growing relationships with other military veterans.
"Were I to provide words to describe my interests and history, I might include: A Dad, Husband, Graphic artist, Computer programmer, Martial artist, Army Medic, Hockey player, Bass guitarist, Actor (commercials and film), Videographer and VERY occasionally, an Activist."
Wil has been far from his West Michigan home for quite some time now, but is pleased to acknowledge the power of true, life-long friends.
"We may not talk all that often after years of being apart, but I respect the formative impressions my friends left on my life and character. When I have opportunities to see them, I am always eager to hug them and let them know what their friendship has meant to me."
